


Bonus scene: Museum of Stolen Moments

by Lumau



Series: Juprafel collection [5]
Category: Nevermoor Series - Jessica Townsend
Genre: Book 2: Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow, Hotel Deucalion, Hurt/Comfort, Jupidad, Nevermoor, Other, Post-Break Up, ghastly market, mogtober2020, museum of stolen moments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:15:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27314665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lumau/pseuds/Lumau
Summary: What happened to Israfel after the fire at the Museum?This was written for the Mogtober 2020 Museum of Stolen Moments prompt.There are some references to my Summer of Eleven story, but it can also stand on it's own.I did really want to add a more happy ending after that last sad one, though. :)
Relationships: Israfel/Jupiter North, juprafel
Series: Juprafel collection [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1977937
Comments: 10
Kudos: 13





	Bonus scene: Museum of Stolen Moments

**Author's Note:**

> If you've read my other Juprafel stories up until now, thanks so much!  
> I hope I can make up for the sad ending of the last one... :)
> 
> Oh, and maybe you can tell I was very, very tired when I first wrote this one, haha.

There it was, at last. The only place in the world where he wanted to be right now. The one thing he’d been craving more than anything. His bed.

Jupiter heaved a big sigh of relief, pulled back the fluffy, white duvet and with relish he let himself down onto the soft, cool mattress. He swore to himself he wouldn’t leave the comfort of his bed ever again, not for anyone or anything. His whole body ached from the stress of running around, of worry and fury. The thrill of shouting at Ms Dearborn and the ecstatic joy of triumph, when Murgatroyd accepted Morrigan as her scholar had given him a temporary surge of fresh energy, but that had also burned out by now. After 36 hours of sleep deprivation, he only wanted to doze off and forget everything about the series of horrible events that had happened since the Stealth had cancelled the hallowmas festivities the previous night. 

He closed his eyes and started to drift off, only to be immediately jolted back out of slumber by a loud thud and a crashing noise from his adjacent living room. Eyes wide, it took him a few moments of inner battle to heave himself up. No one was supposed to enter his private parlour at this time, so any noise was a sign of something going wrong. And it was on him to deal with – yet again.  
Alright. With an exasperated sigh he gave up on his bed. It wouldn’t be the life of Captain Jupiter Amantius North if there wasn’t another mysterious event waiting for him around the corner, right when he finally thought he could get some sleep. 

“What in the seven pockets is going on out there?!” he barked, throwing open the connecting door. He looked around furiously, but couldn’t make out anything that might account for the disturbance. All was quiet now, and the room looked just like he remembered it. No new windows, no additional dinner table… it wasn’t the Deuc refurbishing.  
No one had actually ever dared to break into the Deucalion either. Jupiter wasn’t even sure how the hotel would react should someone try. This was the place where he felt safest, so he didn’t consider there being a potential threat inside his home. 

He sighed and was about to turn around and go back to bed, when something made him stop. He couldn’t really place it at first. Was it something that he heard, or that he had seen? No, it was more of a feeling… an odd inspiration, like a vague pulling sensation around his solar plexus. His feet had almost automatically started moving, a few steps into the room, towards… the balcony!  
A jolt of recognition suddenly went through his brain. In the matter of a second, Jupiter sprinted through the room and threw open the balcony door. 

“For goodness sake! Izzy!” He flung himself down next to the slumped body that was clearly Israfel, who lay unmoving, wings twisted at an odd angle, on his balcony floor. “Did you just crash-land here? What happened? Can you… can you hear me?”  
Adrenaline pushed his body once more to a state of full alertness, his heart pounding wildly as he bend over the sprawled out legs to carefully touch Israfel’s back.  
For a moment he grew very still, stunned by a creeping feeling of horror. Then there was a slight movement of breathing under his hand. Jupiter let out a deep sigh of relief.  
“Izzy! Israfel! Are you hurt?” 

No answer. Jupiter could not see any visible external injuries, apart from broken feathers at the bases of the wings. He carefully grabbed the upper body of the Celestial under his arms and tried arranging him into a more natural position. His body was limp and felt so much heavier than Jupiter remembered it. He carefully turned him to get a look at his face and startled once more. Israfel’s eyes were not closed as he’d expected them to be, but half open, foggy and staring emptily ahead.  
“He’s breathing. He’s alive. He’s breathing.” Jupiter repeated in his mind, trying to calm down enough to clear his head, “I need to get help. I can’t carry him in alone. Charlie. Charlie will help me to bring him inside.”  
He made to get up quickly, but felt a little resistance. Looking down, he saw that one of Israfel’s hands had moved just enough to close his fingers around the edge of his pyjama. Jupiter could almost hear the words inside his head. “Don’t go. Don’t leave me alone.”  
With a quivering sigh he sat back down, next to Israfel, and leaned against the wall. He took his hand into his own and gave it a gentle squeeze. It probably wouldn’t hurt to take a minute to come back to his senses, and then figure out what to do, instead of going on a rampage and waking the hotel.  
Jupiter knew he should use his sight to figure out what was wrong with Israfel. He was scared of what he might find, but it was inevitable. Placing his hands on Israfel’s face, he slightly lifted it to look at him directly. Mustering up all his courage, he focused. A dark fog surrounded Israfel’s body, which made it difficult to even see his face. Jupiter leaned in closer, and was immediately relieved to find that there was... something. His worst fear had been to not find anything behind those blank eyes. All he could see was an utter chaos, but anything was better than emptiness. Chaos he could work with, try to mentally unwind the layers of colours, fog and shadows and look beyond.  
What he saw was almost completely different from what Israfel was supposed to look like. He’d spent enough time in the past looking at him and into his eyes to know him inside and out. Jupiter tried pushing a little further. Underneath that chaos, there were some familiar parts he recognised. He could make out some vague memories, and carefully scanned for something that might give him information on what had happened. There was something recent there, about to be mentally buried, but still very present. Looking deeper than he usually felt comfortable, Jupiter concentrated on this memory.

Outside the stage exit. Dark sky. Alone. Tired. Going home. A voice. No one should be here. A man. Weak. No threat. Holding out a notebook. An autograph, please? For my friend? It’s his birthday tomorrow, he’s a big fan. Reaching out to take the book. A sharp pain. Book falls. Looking at my hand. A prick of blood. Swirling. Falling. Darkness. Darkness. Darkness. A blur. Head spinning. Dizzy. Can’t move. My hands. My wings. Pain. Everything hurts. Looking down. Down. Where am I? A strange glow. Voices. Deep down. Laughter. Footsteps. Heart pounding. Can’t open my mouth. What is going on? A child, no two. A crown. A clock. Panic. Fear. Anger. Pain. I can’t… 

Jupiter forcefully closed his eyes and gasped as if emerging from under water. He waited a few seconds before opening them again. He didn’t need to see any more. It all made sense now. Israfel had been abducted, just like the other 3 victims, Morrigan had told him so. And on top of that he’d later stood in front of the burning building, to sing for those locked inside. He had been exposed to so much dreadful emotional energy, of those at the market, the captives and the dying people… his mind hadn’t been able to bear the strain anymore. Jupiter had wondered about what had happened to Israfel. As the crowd had started gathering, he’d flown off – but after that? There had been so much going on, Jupiter realised with a pang of guilt, he hadn’t even thought of trying to find out about him.  
What did it mean for a Celestial Being to be in this almost comatose state? He didn’t know. Was it temporary, or… He didn’t want to think further. With desperate effort he managed to pull Israfel’s body towards himself and into his arms. His own mind seemed to have gone empty, the only thing he could think of was to hold him close.  
Just hold him, and breathe, and wait…  
A faint idea. If Israfel’s mind had been weakened by toxic emotions, maybe he could remedy some of it? He himself was not exactly feeling great right now, quite the opposite, but as he’d learned in the past, affection was one of the strongest emotions the Celestial Beings were receptive to. Jupiter closed his eyes, trying to block out the fear and worry he currently felt, and focused on how much Israfel meant to him. A slight smile crossed his face, as he remembered how they first met, how they’d gotten to know each other, the immediate attraction between them. How he’d shared his sight with Israfel, and his wings cocooning them both. That serene, quiet afternoon together in the smoking parlour, sharing the chaise longue, Israfel almost dozing off as Jupiter kept telling him (mostly) true stories of his adventures as an explorer. The day trip they went on, visiting the secluded part of the coast outside of Nevermoor. The memorable early morning hours after a long party night in which they ended up waltzing in the rain room. The hundreds of short messages he’d written in his little notebook.

Jupiter didn’t know how much time had passed, when he noticed a little movement out of the corner of his eye. A tiny twitch of a wing. The slightest rustle of feathers. Suddenly hopeful, he looked at Israfel’s face again. His eyes were closed now. The dark fog seemed a bit lighter. Some of the chaos had dissolved.  
“Oh, for the love of the divine thing!” Jupiter sighed, so very relieved about those slight changes, and pressed his face against the others head, squeezing his body as tight as he could.  
“Ouch.” A tiny mutter came out of the depth of the embrace and made Jupiter loosen his grip again.  
“Izzy! Are you awake? Oh, I almost thought… Izzy? Are you alright? Speak to me!”  
An exhausted groan answered his rambling, further wing twitching and some shifting movement.  
“Where… how… What is going on?” Israfel’s eyes blinked open and he looked around dazedly. 

It turned out he couldn’t remember a thing after flying off from the Museum, only an overbearing feeling of panic.  
“I’m so glad you somehow turned up here,” Jupiter felt the exhaustion creep back into his attention, now that the adrenaline subsided, and saw it mirrored in Israfel’s face.  
“It’s getting cold. Do you think you can get up?”  
Israfel nodded, and Jupiter helped him to stand up, supporting the still very weak Celestial as they went inside.  
“Let’s just go to sleep, shall we? I don’t think I can stay awake for much longer.”

He blinked into the dim light and it took him a moment to realise where he was. Warmth, cozyness and sleep clouded his mind and he almost dozed of again right away. No way he’d abandon this paradisiac state already. Then a little rustle and a movement behind him pushed him an inch closer to being awake, becoming aware of an arm around his waist, the hint of a breath on his shoulder, the softness of a cheek against the back of his neck. Jupiter was not sure if he was dreaming or not, but he couldn’t care less. Unwilling to shake of the lingering sleep just yet, he closed his eyes and with a content sigh rolled around to snuggle up against Israfel’s warm body. The familiarity and comfort of their embrace let him fall back to sleep right away.

When Jupiter came to again, the morning sun had crept further into the room. He did not want to open his eyes and give in to waking up. Ever again. But the touch of a hand against his cheek made him blink anyways, and he looked up to find Israfel watching him with a soft, serene smile. In a flash the memories of last night’s events were back, and Jupiter felt a sudden, overwhelming relief at seeing the other’s dark brown eyes as he used to know them, not staring blankly anymore. Without thinking he closed the distance between them to kiss Israfel. Only as their lips touched did he realise this might actually not be an okay thing to do, but Israfel didn’t move away. He cupped his face in his palm and whatever had happened between didn’t matter.

The magic of the moment came to an abrupt end, as a distant part in Jupiter’s brain clocked a noise outside his room, a very brief, hectic knocking sound, a shout of “Jupiter! Jupiter!” and before either of them could react, the door swung open and Morrigan stumbled into the room. She stopped dead in her tracks, and a few seconds of everyone just staring at each other in shock passed. Then Morrigan blushed and turned around to flee the scene.

“Mog!” Jupiter shouted after her, “Stop! Don’t run off! Mog!”  
The footsteps halted in the living room and an awkward silence fell.  
“Mog, I told you to knock!” Jupiter sighed.  
“I did.”  
“Well, knock and wait for an answer, it is then.”  
Another uncomfortable silence spread between them, before Morrigan spoke again, her voice shaken by a slightly hysterical laugh.  
“Aren’t you going to say ‘It’s not what you think it is!’ or something like that?!”  
“Of course not, Mog, I would never say that!” Jupiter replied indignantly.  
“Yeah, you would,” Israfel whispered with a chuckle.  
Jupiter silently mouthed ‘Shut up’ back at him.  
“Mog, let’s please discuss this later, okay?” he continued aloud, “What did you come rushing in for anyways?”  
He was relieved that Morrigan didn’t object to taking the offered escape route.  
“Kedgeree just told me a message came in, there’s an extraordinary meeting for everyone at Wunsoc at 11. I thought you had to know right away, it’s 8 already.”  
Jupiter groaned and rubbed his face exhaustedly. “I should have expected that. No rest for the wicked.”  
“I got to catch hometrain, see you there later!” Morrigan ran off. As the outer door fell shut behind her with a bang, Jupiter groaned again and let himself flop back onto his pillow.  
“The joys of fatherhood. You’re such a dad now!” Israfel grinned mockingly.  
“Stop it!” Jupiter laughed back, only protesting half-heartedly, and burrowed his face in the others neck, determined to resist getting up for as long as possible. 

After a while, the rattling of the breakfast cart was to be heard outside. Probably Morrigan had tipped Martha off to bring the coffee up and leave it outside the bedroom door. Jupiter was both thankful and relieved, as that probably meant she had overcome the earlier shock or was at least not angry. There was still an hour before he’d have to leave, and he gladly enjoyed the breakfast in bed with Israfel, who’s state had improved tremendously over night. He seemed even more recovered than he himself was, Jupiter found sulkily. He couldn’t help noticing how his own hair stood up in a wild mess in odd directions and the dark circles around his eyes. 

“What are you going to do now?” he asked, shifting back to Israfel who was sipping merrily on his coffee, “You’re welcome to stay for as long as you want.”  
“Thank you, and for everything you did for me.” Israfel smiled, and a note of exhaustion came back to his face, “I will take some time away from Nevermoor. It’s been quite a rough time, and I need to recover. Cassiel is still missing. I will go back to our old home, and see if I can help searching for him.”  
Jupiter nodded. They continued to drink their coffee in silence, comfortable in each other’s presence.  
Jupiter's time to leave for the assembly came faster than he'd wished. His body still ached from the stresses and strains of the last days. He had told Israfel to rest at the Deucalion for as long as he wanted to. But both knew that he’d be gone when Jupiter returned. 

It was already in the late afternoon. Jupiter wanted to change before dinner, and have a quiet moment to himself. Habitually he picked up the little notebook he kept on his bedside table to leave a short message, something silly about last nights events, or... He tried to find the special pen that belonged to the notebook, that made the message appear in it’s equal counterpart. It wasn’t on the tray where he usually kept it together with the book. He rummaged around the drawer of the night stand, and looked under the bed (One of Fen’s irritatingly cat-like habits involved tapping small objects off of tables with her gigantic paws...) – to no avail. Jupiter shook his head, giving up on it for now. He’d come back to it later, it wasn’t as if Israfel was awaiting his message after all. As he was putting the notebook back down, he caught a glimpse of something that made him stop. He opened the first page, and to his surprise it was filled with script in messy, narrow handwriting. He bent down to get a better look, and a smile crossed his tired face as he read the note:

'I took the pen. It is on me to return the messages now.  
Thank you once again for what you did for me. I trust next time we meet, the circumstances will be more favourable.  
I’ll miss you. Give my regards to Morrigan as well. I hope you’ll raise her gingerly.  
Love, Israfel  
PS: This is the first and last time you’ll get a pun from me.'

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks again for reading, and to everyone leaving comments and kudos! It always makes me happy to hear from you!
> 
> Now after using it in 2 stories, I'm wondering if anyone except me actually noticed the little notebook Jupiter used in Wundersmith and thought it was more than just a regular old notebook?! If you can't remember, and I don't blame you, as it's only mentioned once in a side note. :D Let me know!
> 
> Also, I know it's usually the bonesmen who catch people for the ghastly market, but I thought Israfel would have just easily outflown them. So he was poisoned instead.
> 
> PS: I made another drawing of these two, which imo is a good fit for this story. Check it out!  
> https://64.media.tumblr.com/6a9070bf9bc612293b325c914f02503d/39c2ccc98665b48f-af/s2048x3072/134f973dd9f8bec9bf27b6b33fc981763c120182.jpg


End file.
